What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is one of the most widespread diseases in the world, with millions of people suffering from it. But do you really know what is diabetes?

Our body primarily burns glucose for energy. Every time we eat, the digestive track breaks down the carbohydrates into glucose and absorbed into the bloodstream. Glucose in the blood triggers the pancreas (a small organ located just behind the stomach) to release insulin. Insulin is a hormone that plays a critical role in carbohydrate metabolism. It directs the glucose molecules into the cells for use as energy when this happens the amount of sugar in the blood also reduces. If the pancreas does not function well either by not producing insulin or if blood glucose becomes resistant to insulin this leads to a metabolic disorder called diabetes milletus.

So What Is Diabetes?

Basically, diabetes is an ailment that happens when the body is not able to properly utilize glucose. When a large amount of circulating glucose in the blood is not converted by the cells into energy, it becomes toxic to the body. An abnormal elevation of blood sugar can lead to serious complications. It can compromise the integrity of the blood vessels, suppress the immune system and reduces the body’s ability to fight infections, damage the kidneys and thickens the blood and affects good circulation.

Today, diabetes is one of the top 10 leading causes of death in the world next to heart disease. The uncontrolled consumption of refined carbohydrates and sugar-concentrated foods, sedentary lifestyle devoid of any physical activities and a growing obesity epidemic propels the diabetes problem into perilous proportions. Currently, the total annual cost of diabetes is estimated to be near $500 billion and has become one of the costly chronic diseases in the world. While there are already a large number of diabetic patients, there are twice as much pre-diabetic persons that are well on their way to become casualties of diabetes if no preventive measures are undertaken.